Big Sky to Consider Addition of Northridge : Expansion: A conference committee will visit the campus. CSUN prefers a 12-team alignment to reduce travel.

A five-member Big Sky Conference expansion committee will visit Cal State Northridge in February, conference Commissioner Ron Stephenson said Friday. The committee is considering the addition of Northridge and Cal State Sacramento by the 1993-94 school year.

The visit is the first sign of progress for Northridge, a second-year Division I independent that is eager to land a conference affiliation.

Plans call for the committee to tour the facilities, meet with coaches, athletic administrators, faculty and President James W. Cleary.

CSUN and Sacramento were selected for further evaluation from a group of five schools that filled out a Big Sky expansion survey last spring.

“Those two perked the most interest on the part of the committee,” said Stephenson, noting that the other schools requested anonymity.

“What makes Northridge and Sacramento attractive, initially, is that they are in Division I and they are prepared to move in football to Division I-AA. And our presidents indicated a strong interest in getting into California markets.”

Northridge Athletic Director Bob Hiegert said: “We’re looking at the Big Sky with a positive approach. We’ll have to see about the cost of getting on board immediately or in the long run.”

The Big Sky will be reduced to eight members next season when Nevada moves to the Big West Conference. The Big Sky will comprise Boise State, Idaho State, Idaho, Montana, Montana State, Eastern Washington, Weber State and Northern Arizona.

Hiegert will meet with Cleary on Wednesday to discuss dates for the visit and the feasibility of moving into the Big Sky. If Northridge and Sacramento are the only schools brought in, Hiegert will not be as interested. He is more enthusiastic about a proposed 12-team conference divided into East-West divisions to reduce travel.

“If we go in as a single, or with one other member, we’ll have the long side of travel,” Hiegert said.

The other problem with the Big Sky is that it does not offer several sports in Northridge’s 18-sport program, including baseball, softball, swimming, men’s volleyball, men’s soccer and men’s golf.

To meet NCAA conference specifications, the Big Sky has to add another men’s and another women’s sport by 1993. But because of inclement weather in the regions of member schools, Hiegert does not expect those to be baseball and softball.

Northridge’s baseball and softball teams have been invited to compete in the Western Athletic Conference as affiliate members, however, beginning in 1992-93.

Hiegert sees no road blocks to the plan, and the WAC, which is expected to approve it at its annual spring meeting, is already treating Northridge as a member. The WAC polled Northridge on a proposed baseball playoff concept and communicates with Hiegert on a regular basis.

Swimming and men’s volleyball already have conference affiliations in the Pacific Collegiate Conference and in the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn.

With those two conferences, and the WAC and the Big Sky, Northridge would be affiliated with four conferences. “That’s meetings, dues and a different commissioner to deal with in each conference,” Hiegert said. “You would want your conference to take care of 90% of your sports or 100%.”

Men’s golf and men’s soccer would remain with affiliation. It is not crucial in golf because most of the events are 15- to 20-team tournaments and there is no disadvantage to being an independent in terms of qualifying for regional and national competition.

Most West Coast soccer teams are independent because the Pacific 10, Big West and Big Sky do not offer soccer.

Besides considering the Big Sky, Hiegert is studying the possibility of forming a new conference with Sacramento, Southern Utah, UC Davis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a few other schools whose names he would not divulge.

Like CSUN, Sacramento and Southern Utah are Division I in all sports except football. All three schools must move to Division I in football by 1993 under new NCAA rules that require schools to compete at the same level in all sports. Davis and San Luis Obispo, which recently decided to move to Division I, will not be at that level until 1995. They must compete under Division I rules for two years, beginning next fall, before being formally accepted.

In the past, Hiegert also has expressed interest in the Big West, but the Big West has not shown interest in Northridge because Northridge cannot afford to elevate its football program to Division I-A.

Hiegert, who feels his school can, however, afford I-AA football, believes I-A football will not survive in the Big West because of its expense.

Big West member Cal State Long Beach dropped football Tuesday and two other members--Cal State Fullerton and Pacific--are struggling financially.

The NCAA rule that is forcing Northridge to upgrade football to Division I could mean an increase in scholarships. CSUN’s Division II football program currently provides 31 scholarships--20 from the athletic budget. The Division I-AA maximum is 65.

An appeal of the Big Sky to Hiegert is that under a 12-team concept, football scholarship limits likely would be lowered. The conference could survive with fewer players on scholarship because it would not have to worry about needing the larger number of scholarships to compete against teams outside its conference. The 12-team conference would fill each member’s schedule.

CSUN basketball Coach Pete Cassidy has no qualms about the Big Sky Conference, although he has more frequently expressed a desire to play in the Big West.

“I’ve thought of the Big West because of its locale and the presence of the sister schools from California,” Cassidy said.

CSUN football Coach Bob Burt also would welcome a conference affiliation as long as the school makes the financial commitment to be competitive.

“In 1993, we need a home,” Burt said. “If (the Big Sky) is the neighborhood for us, we need to be able to afford the housing.”

Possible Affiliations for CS Northridge by 1993-94

Sport Conference Baseball Western Athletic** Basketball Big Sky Basketball (W) Big Sky Cross-Country Big Sky Cross-Country (W) Big Sky Football Big Sky* Golf Independent Soccer Independent Softball Western Athletic** Swimming Pacific Collegiate Swimming (W) Pacific Collegiate Tennis (W) Big Sky Track (Indoor/Outdoor) Big Sky Track (W) (Indoor/Outdoor) Big Sky Volleyball Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. Volleyball (W) Big Sky

* Division I-AA level

** Auxiliary member, effective 1992-93